The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

Alabastron

Alabastron

305–222 BCE
(332 BCE–395 CE), Ptolemaic dynasty (305–30 BCE)
Diameter: 3.3 cm (1 5/16 in.); Overall: 22.9 cm (9 in.); Stopper: 4.5 cm (1 3/4 in.); Body: 19.1 x 2.5 cm (7 1/2 x 1 in.)
Location: 107 Egyptian

Did You Know?

This perfume holder might have been attached to a string, making it easily portable.

Description

Both ancient Egyptian men and women loved cosmetics. Unguents, oils, and perfumes made from aromatic plant resins and gums were obtained at great cost from distant lands. The objects identified with cosmetics were given lavish treatment.
  • Sale: New York, Sotheby's, 8 December 1995, Important Classical, Egyptian, and Western Asiatic Antiquities and Islamic Works of Art, no. 17
  • Berman, Lawrence M., and Kenneth J. Bohač. Catalogue of Egyptian Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999. Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 486, cat. no. 382
  • {{cite web|title=Alabastron|url=false|author=|year=305–222 BCE|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1995.262